Moscow - Saba:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced on Wednesday that Russia's nuclear deterrent capability was not affected by the Ukrainian drone attack on Russian military airfields.
Sputnik quoted Ryabkov as saying to reporters that "the damage caused by these attacks is being deliberately exaggerated by Kyiv," considering that "this exaggeration aims to affect the image of Russian military power."
He added that "the equipment damaged in the attacks can be recovered and will be repaired," explaining that "a large part of this equipment is not included in the platforms covered by the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which is currently the reference framework in the field of nuclear weapons."
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister noted that "certain types of weapons and equipment covered by the treaty are classified as strategic aviation, while other systems are not considered heavy strategic bombers," stressing that "this does not constitute any weakness in Russia's nuclear deterrence capabilities."
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that all crimes against civilians committed on the eve of the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were aimed at disrupting the negotiation process, noting that the Kyiv authorities lack even the most basic level of political culture.
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